The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger 

Amulet Books, 2010

160 pages

4 out of 5

In this funny, uncannily wise portrait of the dynamics of a sixth-grade class and of the greatness that sometimes comes in unlikely packages, Dwight, a loser, talks to his classmates via an origami finger puppet of Yoda.  If that weren't strange enough, the puppet is uncannily wise and prescient.  Origami Yoda predicts the date of a pop quiz, guesses who stole the classroom Shakespeare bust, and saves a classmate from popularity-crushing embarrassment with some well-timed advice.  Dwight's classmate Tommy wonders how Yoda can be so smart when Dwight himself is so clueless.  With contributions from his puzzled classmates, he assembles the case file that forms this novel.  (Description from Amazon).

What a fantastic read!  This is a funny, insightful tale of middle school awkwardness at its best.  And it has Yoda.

The voices of the kids are genuine from Tommy who just wants to figure it all out to his friend who speaks into a recorder so "it doesn't feel like homework."  I wouldn't say there is depth to the characters, but when discussing the politics of middle school, that's to be expected.  There's a hint of romance, but not sappy, convoluted grown up love.  Instead you get shy, middle school "Does she like me?" and "Do you think he likes me back?" love.  It sure takes me back to when holding hands was the best thing ever.

The little details in the publishing make for a casual feel and add to the fun.  The seemingly crumpled pages that make up the book, the doodles by the friend, and the use of varying fonts for different contributors and comments.  This makes for a dynamic text that will not prove boring for readers.  There are even instructions to make your own Origami Yoda.

This is a great little that had me giggling and, like Yoda, left me thinking, "The end this is?"

A Question Becomes a (Personal) Challenge

Does anyone else ever feel this way about their books?  (See these and other cool bookends here.)

I hope it is safe to say this: anyone with a bookshelf (or bookshelves as is the case with us more prolific readers) probably has at least one book that they have no read for one reason or another.  Sadly, I have realized that I have many more unread titles than I would like.  I've gone through phases where I've bought and bought and bought some more but I have not made it a priority to read those books.  For instance, when Mockinjay came out, I finally decided that I should read The Hunger Games series.  I bought all three, put them on my shelf, and that's where they've been ever since.  This is not the type of book-owner that I want to be.  If someone takes a peek at my shelves and asks for a recommendation, I don't want to say, "I haven't read that yet, or that either...or that."


But what do about it?  How do I drag myself away from the shiny new books and read those that have been languishing on my shelf for months, or worse, years?

The Answer: I'm creating a challenge for myself.  I am going to go through all the books in my apt (I have others elsewhere) make a list of titles that I have not read, and then actually read them.  During this time, I will limit the number of books that I purchase and the number of books I borrow from the library.  I've already been working at the second half of that, but as you may have noticed with my last IMM post, I have not done a very good job at limiting my purchases.  I'll definitely have to limit it to a number of books rather than a dollar amount, because I'm way too good at finding deals.  This will not only facilitate reading the books that I own, but it means that perhaps I can actually read the books I get from the library.

If anyone else has this or a similar problem or goal feel free to join me.


Lastly, I'd like to note that Kathy of Ms. Martin Teaches Media turned my thoughts in this direction with her Book Buying Ban.  I didn't want to go that route, but reading her posts made me want to know the numbers for sure when it comes to books owned vs. books owned and read.  I'll include updates along the way.

Ghostopolis

Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel 

Graphix, 2010

267 pages

4 out of 5

When Garth Hale is accidentally zapped into the ghost world by Frank Gallows, a washed-up ghost wrangler, he discovers that he has special powers.  Soon he finds himself on the run from the evil ruler of Ghostopolis, who wants to use Garth's newfound abilities to tighten his grip on the spirit world.  After Garth meets Cecil, his grandfather's ghost, the two search for a way to get Garth back home, nearly losing hope until Frank Gallows shows up to fix his mistake.

This is a fun, paranormal story with a slight twist.  Instead of ghosts coming to humans for help to get to the other side or what-have-you, the ghosts are on the run from ghost hunters who force them back to what amounts to purgatory.  It's a neat twist and the reason I picked up the book in the first place.

Like a good novel, there were subplots.  Not mentioned in the description is that Frank Gallows arrives in Ghostoplis with Claire Voyant--his ex-love and a ghost.  Hints about the relationship pop up throughout the novel, but it doesn't turn the tale into a romance.  Also, Garth meets his grandfather for the first time.  All I can say without giving things away is that it's more interesting than Frank and Claire.

The images in graphic novels are meant to add to and help tell the story, and indeed they do.  I would call the style relaxed.  The images do what they should. From the moment you meet Frank Gallows, it's easy to tell that he's a man who's given up.  Even though I enjoyed the book as a whole, the opening sequence is definitely my favorite.

This title could be a good introduction to graphic novels if you're thinking of testing the waters.  Otherwise, it's a good recommendation for those interested in paranormal that might just be a little different from your average ghost story.

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It seems Ghostopolis is being made into a movie starring Hugh Jackman. 

Disclosure: I borrowed this title from my local library.

I Am A Genius of Unspeakable Evil...

I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President by Josh Lieb 

Razorbill, 2010

272 pages

4 out of 5

Oliver Watson is pretty much your average kid.  He lives in Omaha, Nebraska.  His favorite after-school snack is a grilled-cheese sandwhich.  His best friend is his beautiful brindle pit bull mix, Lollipop.  And...oh yeah.  He's a mad evil genius on his way to total utter world domination.

Nobody can stop Oliver from getting what he wants.  Not Jordie Moscowitz, the class bully.  Not his plaid wearing, can't-disguise-that-he's-balding English teacher, Mr. Moorhead.  Not even Oliver's father and arch nemesis, "Daddy."  (He hates being called that.) It doesn't matter how many dictators Oliver has to overthrow.  How many presidents he has to blackmail.  How many bingo-addicted grandmas he has to bribe.  What Oliver wants, Oliver gets.

That is, until now.  Because Oliver Watson is running for class president.  And he's about to discover, ruling the world is actually a lot easier than getting other kids to  vote for you.

Even for a genius of unspeakable evil.

There is no doubt in my mind that Oliver Watson is a genius.  I'm actually a little green with envy.  I don't want to be an evil genius or anything, but I would like the benefits that go along with it--like the secret lair, bodyguards that keep life's annoying people* away, that sort of thing.

This book was a lot of fun to read and I kick myself a little for not having read it sooner.  Oliver is not your typical narrator.  He proves himself to be an evil genius and that he's also an incredible actor.  I suppose the two have to go hand-in-hand when your evil genius-ness is a secret.

The writing is solid and conversational.  It's written from  Oliver's perspective, almost like a diary but not quite.  Even so, graduates of Diary of a Wimpy Kid should find this enjoyable as well.

I highly recommend this title.  It's humorous, includes some fun pictures and evil** footnotes.  What more could you want?

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*ie that guy who wants to take me out to lunch for helping him find some music.  Dude, I promise, the thank you was enough.
**Evil on an e-reader at least.  Clicking back and forth was a little annoying (especially when it wouldn't click).  So I recommend reading the print version over the digital version.  Either way, it's an enjoyable read.

Disclosure: I borrowed the e-book version of this title from my local library. 

In My Mailbox (11)

IMM is hosted by Kristy at The Story Siren.  It's a weekly meme to share titles borrowed, bought, scavenged, traded and won.  I participate every other week.

Borrowed:

 

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Book on CD)

Bought:

Strings Attached by Nick Nolan

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

Suckerpunch by David Hernandez

Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbon by Ann Rinaldi

Something About America by Maria Testa

The Trap by John Smelcer

XVI by Julia Karr

Somebody Everybody Listens To by Suzanne Suplee

Mooched:

 

The Case of Jennie Brice by Mary Roberts Rinehart